Updated 6.30pm with Labour Youth Forum statement

The new media bill launched was not proposing the registration of people to be able to comment online, the government said this morning.

In a statement, it said this was a deceitful spin the Opposition was trying to give.

What the bill was proposing, the government said, was the registration of editors of local news or current affairs websites on the internet in the same way as newspapers, television and broadcasting editors were registered.

A draft bill presented by the government on Tuesday would require news websites to register with the government and seeks to double the maximum penalty for libel to €20,000, while removing criminal libel and the imposition of garnishee orders on journalists. 

The government said it was following with interest the debate on the bill, which would lead to greater freedom of expression through the removal of criminal libel and the introduction of new mediation systems in civil libel. It would also eliminate the possibility of precautionary warrants during civil libel procedures.

The government said it would continue with the consultation process and welcomed suggestions and observations on the bill, which was to be moved for second reading in Parliament.

In a statement this evening, the Labour Youth Forum rejected claims that the new law would lead to more censorship. 

It was not true that anybody with a blog or a social media page would need to get himself registered, FŻL said.

Journalists writing in a non-registered site would also not be disadvantaged because Maltese law protects them where it comes to keeping their sources under wraps.